Given that this is Superbowl Sunday...

As has been observed before, there are some similarities between religion and sports. I'll address just one...

Personally, I don't have a huge problem with people following their own religious beliefs, on the condition that this doesn't negatively impact others, though I also acknowledge this is problematic in practice. It's the vast amount of resources that go to the church (in a broad sense of that word) that bothers me. I see so many church buildings, so many expansion projects, so much money being spent on infrastructure and salaries and the like. Billions. I won't make a blanket statement and say it's entirely wasted, as I acknowledge that some church groups actually do some practical good for people in their communities. But mostly those resources could be put to much better use, IMO.

Similarly, if people enjoy sports, fine. I'm not anti-sports and will occasionally watch a game of tennis or baseball or basketball or whatever. I can understand the enjoyment there. With pro sports, and especially football, it becomes almost a religious experience, which I don't happen to share. But here again, what bothers me is the billions of dollars that get spent on salaries and stadiums and all the other trappings of professional sports.

The church and professional sports are both big business. I don't think it should be that way.